"Help the Second Young Lady in."

Seeing Wei Yan crying so painfully, Lady Li became anxious too. Several maids and old maidservants went on to support Wei Yan who collapsed on the ground in her crying and helped her into the main apartment.

"Mother, mother, what should I do? That cheap girl wanted to cancel her engagement with Marquis Jing Yuan. What... what can I do? "

Wei Yan let out a cry of grievance.

Lady Li waved her hand. The maids and old maidservants got the signal and withdrew from the chamber.

After all the servants leaved, Lady Li fondled Wei Yan"s head with distress and comforted her, "Don"t worry, Zhaoyi Tu was the witness of the engagement. Wei Yuewu can"t break it off so easily even if she wants to."

"But if she made a scene... how... how would I be going to get married with Marquis Jing Yuan?"

Wei Yan wiped off her tears, her pretty face showing hatred and jealousy.

If things deteriorated to the point of canceling the engagement of Wei Yuewu and Mo Huating, under such circ.u.mstances, the two families would become enemies. This meant Wei Yan and Mo Huating would never have any chance of getting married. This was one of the worst scenarios Mo Huating had mentioned to Wei Yan.

"I was too careless. And Marquis Jing Yuan really failed us. How could he fail to kill Wei Yuewu and let her escape alone in that situation?"

Lady Li said hatefully, grabbing a handkerchief in her hand.

Lady Li believed that the place and time she selected for the a.s.sa.s.sination of Wei Yuewu were flawless: in a wild place and at night. Under no circ.u.mstance would Wei Yuewu, who didn"t even have enough strength to truss a chicken, escape from the death trap.

"Mother, what should we do now? We can"t let that cheap girl really break off her engagement. Mother, please think about some way!"

Wei Yan clenched her teeth as she shook Lady Li"s clothes. Her face was twisted out of detestation.

"Where"s your maid Shuiyun?"

Lady Li was in a trance for a while as a result of being shaken by Wei Yan. Then a shrewd light flashed in her eyes. As the mistress in charge of the back yard of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang for so many years, she had impressive ability to cope with various situations.

"I gave her a good beat. Now she is locked in the wood storage room."

Wei Yan answered with hatred. She blamed Shuiyun for the unsuccessful a.s.sa.s.sination so much that she wanted to kill the maid. If Lady Li had not asked her to spare the life for the time being, she would have killed this cheap girl.

"Let"s go and see her."

With a blink of her eyes, Lady Li came up with an idea. She made up her mind and stood up.

"Mother, what"s the benefit of seeing that cheap girl?"

Wei Yan complained impatiently. Although Shuiyun was certainly annoying, the person she hated most was undoubtedly Wei Yuewu.

"Yan"er, perhaps that girl is still useful."

A trace of resentment flashed in Lady Li"s eyes as she cursed Wei Yuewu in her heart. This cheap girl would be too naive if she thought everything would be fine once she entered this mansion!

Now that the cheap girl wanted to break off the engagement, Lady Li would give her a helping hand!

At the mansion of the Duke of Yan State in the capital.

Deep inside a curtain of a chamber in a high-rise building, there was a gorgeous musical instrument called qin. In front of it sat obliquely a handsome young man in a white cloak. As he plucked the strings of the qin, musical notes streamed from the instrument like running water, enhancing his natural grace as pure as jade. Anyone who saw him would feel that such a person could only exist in heaven.

A spy in martial arts clothes suddenly appeared in front of him and knelt on one knee.

"What"s up?"

Yan Huaijing asked gently without raising his head. His long fingers were still plucking the strings, not missing a single note.

"The princes of State Qi and State Chu had arrived in the capital days before. The prince of Lu State entered the capital shortly after Your Highness. He should be on his way to the mansion of the Duke of State Lu now."

The spy reported respectfully.

"What are the princes of State Qi and State Chu doing these days?"

The instrument sounded very elegant, flowing in the air as fluently as the free clouds in the sky. However, Yan Huaijing"s voice was even more elegant to the ear, and was made even clearer and tenderer in the melodious sound of the instrument.

"The two princes were busy making friends with powerful officials and dignitaries after coming to the capital. They kept close contacts with big families and sent specialties and gifts of basically the same quant.i.ty to each family. But the mansion of Grand Tutor Tu received most, and the two princes implied their intention to marry daughters of the Tu family."

This spy had been in the capital all the time paying close attention to those from other va.s.sal states, especially those from the mansions of the three major dukes.

"What about the crown prince"s mansion?"

"I"ve been keeping an eye on the crown prince"s mansion. The coachman incident has been settled. I caught him on the spot so he dared not refuse my condition. Please rest a.s.sured, Your Highness."

The spy understood that his master was asking about the coachman who crashed Wei Yuewu"s carriage into the river. He answered immediately with a smile on his face. Security and anti-espionage measures of the crown prince"s mansion had always been tough and flawless.

He had attempted several times to arrange his men into the mansion but failed. He had thought that his men would be of no use by the time his master came to the capital even if he managed to send them in the crown prince"s mansion. Fortunately, the coachman incident allowed him such an excellent opportunity that he achieved his goal even before his master entered the capital. With the coachman"s help, it would be much easier to deal with things related to the mansion of the crown prince!

"Continue to keep an eye on State Qi and State Chu and send more people to watch the prince of State Lu."

The elegant and beautiful voice was heard amid the sound of the music instrument; but in the end, he added with a smile, "Pay attention to the affairs in the mansions of Marquis Hua Yang and Marquis Jing Yuan too!"

The spy blinked, thinking that he might hear his master wrongly. Did his master just mention the mansions of Marquis Hua Yang and Marquis Jing Yuan? These two families seemed to have little to do with his master!

"The mansions of Marquis Hua Yang and Marquis Jing Yuan?"

Thinking he must have heard his master wrongly, the spy asked diffidently.

Were the two mansions plotting against State Yan? If so, why did he know nothing about it despite being in the capital all along? As he saw it, although Marquis Jing Yuan was a promising young man and a martial arts master, he had no great power in his hands yet, and therefore could not pose any threat to State Yan.

However, it seemed possible when the words came from the mouth of his wise master.

The spy got really confused, so he had to ask for confirmation in case he misunderstood his master.

The music suddenly stopped and the gentle voice came from above with a hint of laugh. "You heard me, didn"t you?"

The spy shivered and nodded respectfully. "Yes, I see. I"ll immediately arrange some men to keep an eye on the two mansions. If there is anything unusual, I"ll report to Your Highness right away."

I must watch these two mansions closely, the spy reproached himself in his heart. My subordinates must have failed to collect enough information. See, even His Highness was so concerned about the two mansions. I must be more watchful. But really, I never saw His Highness cared so much about any mansion that did not belong to the royal family, except the other three Duke mansions.

At a wave of Yan Huaijing"s hand, the spy withdrew. With a quick move of his body, he disappeared in the air!

Yan State"s spies in the capital belonged to the Flying Dragon Intelligence Agency. Every spy was one in a thousand and had extraordinary martial skills.

Yan Huaijing put his hands on the strings without playing the instrument. Somehow, the frozen face of that thin and small girl flashed in his mind.

Although she was just a little girl, she could possess such impressive fort.i.tude that she managed to maintain her consciousness until she was sure that he would save her.

Such a strong mind was most interesting.

What"s more, she even knew how to figure out people"s thoughts when she was almost unconscious due to the extreme coldness, which indeed showed how intelligent she was.

As to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang in the capital, he never had any chance to have a hand in it. Now that he had a nice move to maneuver, it was really something interesting.

He was really looking forward to seeing how that little girl, who not only possessed a firm mind and strong will but also was able to read people"s mind, would stage her drama...

Yan Huaijing curled the corner of his pretty lips and slightly swung his long sleeves. His beautiful smile was so pure as if he were above worldly affairs!

"Miss, the hot water has been sent from the kitchen. Let me help you take a bath."

All the servants in the yard were beaten as punishment, and most of them were driven away. Several maids and old maidservants who could do tough work were retained, and they now dared not be slack in work. Some of them went to the kitchen directly and brought hot water to the yard.

Although they were flogged, fortunately they didn"t hurt much thanks to their strong build. As for those servants who were weaker, they could only limp along and left the yard with the help of others.

It had not been convenient to take a bath during her trip to the capital. So Wei Yuewu felt exceedingly comfortable after the bath. Now she was sitting in front of the window while Jin Ling was helping her dry her hair.

Her delicate features were reflected in the diamond-shaped mirror. The penetrating and shining eyes on her thin small face were especially impressive.

"What was up?"

Wei Yuewu asked softly. When she was bathing, Jin Ling went out to see some menial maid who called her from outside.

"Miss, someone sent you a note."

Jin Ling took out a folded piece of paper. The note was creased and uneven as if it was torn off in a hurry. The person who tore the paper seemed to have been in so great an urgency that the slip of paper was broken in the edge.

Wei Yuewu took the note and unraveled it. A trace of coldness flashed in her eyes as she read the words on it.

Jin Ling also saw the words from behind Wei Yuewu. She involuntarily exclaimed, "Shuiyun? Is she the girl who masqueraded as Marquis Jing Yuan"s guard and was identified by you?"

So the note was written by Shuiyun!

The words on the note were simple: Sixth Young Lady, do you want to know how I appeared along with Marquis Jing Yuan? Please go to the octagonal pavilion in the back garden at 3:45 pm.

The signature was Shuiyun.

"It is exactly that maid."

Wei Yuewu slightly compressed her lips and said. She picked up the tea on the table and elegantly took a sip. There was a faint sneer around the corner of her mouth.

How could she possibly forget this maid? Qin Ruo would not have died so miserably if this maid had not helped Marquis Jing Yuan identify her. She would never let the maid get away even if she was supported by Wei Yan.

If the world was governed by the law of the jungle, she would not try to shy away!

Her smile grew colder as she recollected that the maid was so scared at the sight of her in the inn that she nearly lost her mind. How could she have the guts to invite her over...

Jin Ling watched Wei Yuewu sitting there with a trace of scornful coldness. Although Wei Yuewu"s body had not yet fully developed, Jin Ling somehow felt extremely confident in her mistress. Jin Ling was not an ordinary maid. In the beginning, when Yan Huaijing gave her to Wei Yuewu, she thought she was underemployed and her talent would be wasted to serve such a fragile young lady.

Now she felt perfectly comfortable and at ease working for her mistress. It was hard to imagine that such a thin figure could actually dissipate her worries!

But that was simply the fact, although it was difficult to explain: this weak and slender girl had an air absolutely different from that of ordinary girls.

It was that kind of air that inexplicably won over Jin Ling"s trust. She had only found such a temperament in her former master Yan Huaijing...